The Highway
Ratings2
Average rating3.5
The inspiration for the new ABC series Big Sky. “A violent, tension-packed, well-written thriller spiced with Box’s vivid portrayal of the Western landscape.” — Associated Press When two sisters set out across a remote stretch of Montana road to visit their friend, little do they know it will be the last time anyone might ever hear from them again. The girls—and their car—simply vanish. Former police investigator Cody Hoyt has just lost his job and has fallen off the wagon after a long stretch of sobriety. Convinced by his son and his former rookie partner, Cassie Dewell, he begins the drive south to the girls' last known location. As Cody makes his way to the lonely stretch of Montana highway where they went missing, Cassie discovers that Gracie and Danielle Sullivan aren't the first girls who have disappeared in this area. This majestic landscape is the hunting ground for a killer whose viciousness is outmatched only by his intelligence. And he might not be working alone. Time is running out for Gracie and Danielle...Can Cassie overcome her doubts and lack of experience and use her innate skill? Can Cody Hoyt battle his own demons and find this killer before another victim vanishes on the highway?
Series
Series
5 primary booksCassie Dewell
Cassie Dewell is a 5-book series with 5 primary works first released in 2013 with contributions by C.J. Box.
Series
6 primary booksThe Highway Quartet
The Highway Quartet is a 6-book series with 6 primary works first released in 2011 with contributions by C.J. Box.
Series
2 primary booksCody Hoyt
Cody Hoyt is a 2-book series with 2 primary works first released in 2011 with contributions by C.J. Box.
Reviews
Popular Reviews
Reviews with the most likes.
This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader in a post about this book and the follow-up.
—
...
Then a few years later, in The Highway, we meet Cody again. In the meantime, things have gone really well for him, we can tell. And then things fall apart as we join him—he falls off the wagon, jeopardizing career and family.
Danielle is driving her sister Gracie from their home in Colorado to their father's for Thanksgiving. Danielle makes a spur-of-the-moment choice to detour to see Cody's son, Justin. Ever the horrible-teenage-driver, she's texting him continually through their trip.
Suddenly, the texts stop and hours click by with no contact. Justin enlists his drunken father and a new investigator he's training to search for them. Cassie Dewall is a driven, single mother, widowed when her husband was killed in Afghanistan. She's younger and has a lot to learn (and to prove), but has the making of a good detective.
The girls have been kidnapped by, well, it's in the official blurb so I can say this—a serial killer. Who does a lot more than kill his exclusively female victims. I think that says enough.
The perspectives jump between Cody, Cassie, Gracie and the killer keeping the tension high throughout the hunt. I almost stopped at several points, however. The looming threat to Danielle and Gracie was a lot to take, and hearing about what the other victims had gone through and endured was horrible. It was just a little too real and not at all entertaining for me.
I stuck with it, though. I wanted to see just how the hunt resolved and assumed (rightly or wrongly) that some sort of justice would be meted out. Also, I had to know what would happen to the girls. In the end, I'm glad I did, but it almost wasn't worth it. A little more evil and it wouldn't have been.
That said. I'll be back for number three. Soon.
